Swimming pool



Nov. 13, 1951 J. T. SPARLING SWIMMING POOL 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed July 8, 194'? m Q EH AQN NNl R! wy N MN mm N w U NW NOV. 13, 1951 T S R I SWIMMING POOL Filed July 8, 1347 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 6 I: I w

Nov. 13, 1951 J. T. SPARLING SWIMMING POOL Filed July 8, 1947 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 l wpniar:

III/III IIIIIIIIIIYIIIIA Patented Nov. 13, 1951 UNI-TED. SZTATE'TS OFFIQEi]v amazes-11:.

Groom Josepli -T. snarling, Los-Angeles, mum. Animation-Jams; 1947.*s ;iaii-io.- 159.4914

swimming pool body are subject to heavy lateral outward thrust by the weight of water in the body of the pool and when embedded in earth are subject to a counter inward thrust exerted by the ground, these tendencies being variable due' to filling and emptying of the swimming pool. My improvement is adapted to fully overcome the effect of this thrust action and to provide a bathing or swimming tank or receptacle of reinforced structure which-has maximum-simplicity; permits of pm-fabrication}and requires a minimum. of material and cost of constructiom Further objects and advantages of my improvementwlll be apparent from the followingspecifi- 'cation,of which the accompanying drawings form a part.

Fig.1 is a planof a swimming. pool embodying my.invention; .Fig. 2 is a longitudinal fside. eleyation; Fig. 3 is an end elevationlookin atthe right hand end of the structure shown in Fig. 1; Fig. 4 is an end elevation looking at the left hand end of the structure shown in Fig. 1; Fig. 5 is a plan of a detail at increased scale showing one corner of the tank or body structure; Fig. 6 is a section taken on the line 66 of Fig. 5; Fig. '7 is a section of a detail at increased scale, taken approximately on the line 1-1 of Fig. 2, and showing typical application of stifieners for reinforcing the strength of the side and end walls; Fig. 8 is a section of a detail taken on the line 8-8 of Fig. 7; Fig. 9 is a section of a detail taken on the line 99 of Fig. 1, showing the drain connection from the trough; and Figs. 10 and 11 are respectively sections of details at increased scale taken on the line 10-40 and ll-ll of Fig. 1.

The body A of my improved swimming pool is advantageously made out of sheet metal which can be fabricated in parts and composed of a floor or bottom B, a pair of opposite side walls C-C and a pair of opposite end walls D-D. The side and end walls are substantially fiat and upright as shown or they may be modified in shape and ownwardly and Ofdlvihg' deptlri irithe adjacent portioii. of the pool. 'I'he" general 'hoiizontal shape of. the body is oblongo'r polygonal.

The oppositesides C.-.C' as-s'hown. are. of single piec'eirorm and have their. lower edge. portions ektndd downwardly. and shaped to. closely meet and abut. against the.s'urfaces .-of sections" L0,. to which they. are joifiedbyivvflding. at M as shown ih'FiQSI'ZandB V Tlie' oppositepair-s of side and end wens. 09 C and. D-l-D- respectively. are reinforced. to with]- stand lateral thrust efiort caused by'theoutward pressureof Waterin the body and iiiwardpressure ofiearth. when. the. body .is iinbeddedl in earth; by vertically disposed stifieners. 1.5.. These. s'tiffeners are composed of longitudinal angleibar .disposed vertically. at. suitable. laterally" spaced. intervals apart; Thestiiienersare securedby double welding the. outer. edge'sof one...s"id'e of each.= bar.at J8 tothecontighcus.outersurfaee. of, each side and .endwall (Figs. 7 andB) s The body .of the swimming .pool, .whe'n assembled and.-.welded..in the manner above described produce a rigid and substantial leak proof structure which is comparatively simple, durable and inexpensive.

A gutter E surrounds the upper edge portion of the body substantially horizontally and is intended to conform with any marginal shape thereof. This gutter is made out of horizontally disposed channel members l1, the horizontal webs (Fig. 6), of which form the bottom and the flanges l9 the sides. The inner flange of each channel section i welded along its longitudinal edges at 20 to the outer side and end surfaces of the body, while the upper contiguous abutting edges are substantially even horizontally as shown in Figs. 5 and 6. Adjacent end sections of the channel members are joined by miter joints '2! (Fig. 5), which are secured together by butt welding. In this manner any scum can be skimmed by overflow of water into the gutter. The mitered corner portions of the gutter are also supported by brackets 2|. A hand grip or grab rail F also surrounds above the upper edge of the body A to aid bathers in entering or leaving the pool.

3 The hand grip is composed of sections 22 or pipe of suitable diameter (Figs. 5 and 6), joined by couplings 23 and supported above the gutter by the longitudinal angle bar sections 24. The contiguous ends of the angle bar sections are joined at the end corners of the gutter by welded miter Joints 25, which correspond with the miter joints 2|. The lower edges of the downwardly extending sides 26 of the angle bar sections 24 are secured to the floor 18 of the gutter by double welded joints 2! (Fig. 6). The gutter E is divided into inner scum and outer spit channels or troughs 28 and 29, by angle bar supporting members 24, the inner channel being adapted to receive scum by overflow from the pool and the outer channel 29 being adapted to receiveany splash of water caused by bathers while bathin or holding the hand grip F. The angle bar supporting means for the hand grip forms a guard to isolate scum from physical contact for improved sanitary reasons.

A drain duct 30 is connected with the lowermost portion of the swimming pool. Also a drain duct 3| (Fig. 9) is connected through floor [8 of the gutter with both channels 28 and 29.

My improved swimming pool is adapted to be mounted upon any suitable support or to be imbedded solidly in earth with its upper marginal edge projecting above and substantially horizontal. When in use the circulating gutter around the upper marginal edge of the body confines and drains scum and splash water through separate channels which prevents contamination. The hand grip support which is shaped inwardly above the marginal upper edge of the bodyaids in protecting against contact with any scum which is removed from water in the pool. The channel members I! in addition to forming the circulating gutter buttress and reinforce the side and end wall members 0-0 and D-D. These channel members coact with the stiiieners IS in producing this effect whereby the walls of the body withstand all lateral thrust tendency exerted by the water in the pool and the inward thrust efiort exerted by earth, in the event the body is imbedded in the ground.

In accordance with the patent statutes, I have described the principles of operation of my invention together with the construction thereof which I now consider to represent the best embodiment thereof, but I desire to have it understood that the structure shown is only illustrative and that the invention can be carried out by 4 other means and applied to uses other than those above' set forth within the spirit of the invention and the scope of the following claims.

I claim:

1. A swimming pool structure having panel ends, sides and floor welded together to produce a liquid holding bathing receptacle, said floor being of panel construction and having an end portion of wading depth, and a downwardly converging portion of diving depth adjacent thereto, vertically disposed reinforcing stiffeners at horizontally spaced intervals apart secured to the external surfaces of said ends and sides, a drain duct connected with the converginglowermost portion of said floor, an endless drain gutter around the rim of said pool structure adapted to receive overflow from the pool, a hand rail above the gutter extended continuously around the pool structure, and an endless longitudinal support for the hand rail extended inwardl over saidjgutter and shielding the hand rail to prevent contamination by the overfiow liquid in said gutter.

2. A swimming pool receptacle having a, floor and reinforced enclosing walls, a drain gutter secured along the rim of said enclosing walls adapted to receive overflow from within said receptacle, a supporting wall dividingsaid gutter into an inner scum receiving channel and an outer splash receiving channel surrounding said enclosing walls, said supporting wall being extended inwardly above said scum receiving channel, and a hand rail on said inward extension over said scum receiving channel.

JOSEPH T. SPARLING.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of rec'ord'in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,461,026 Booraem July 10, 1923 1,908,332 Eichelman et a1. May 9, 1933 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 768,506 France Aug. 7', 1934 OTHER REFERENCES Leaflet entitled All Steel Swimming Pools by Koven, published by L. O. Koven and Bros, Jersey City, New Jersey. 

